Change Your Image
ChrisT08
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
The Walking Dead: What Comes After (2018)
He is The Walking Dead
This series has had some outstanding episodes - 207, 304, 408, 414, 416, 501, 516, 609, 701, and heck I'll even throw 716 in there because it made me cry at the end - but The Walking Dead has never had a perfect episode until now.
Before that negative, troll voice in your head tunes out the rest of this positivity, ask yourself this: what would you have cut from this episode? If your answer was "not a single god damn second", then congratulations...you have a perfect episode. What: you didn't like the Negan subplot? Did you even see JDM in that scene? Did you even realize how it set the stage for the future? Oh yeah speaking of future: Judith! When was the last time you witnessed a story choice in a series that bold?
TWD lost some of its story purpose when Carl died. It was on par to do the same with Rick until Angela Kang took over. She has tightened up the plot, magnified the dialogue, and brought the series back to human struggles, values, and questions the series initially asked.
All of these aspects start and end with Rick. Sure, you might have mixed feelings about him in the chopper off to go expand this universe in a movie series, but you can't say you weren't surprised to see him still breathing. So many times in the show we knew he or one of the golden characters would be fine in a moment of trouble, and it all lead to this huge subversion of expectation within the episode.
Yet the true standout was Rick's journey to get to that final moment. He has always been the chameleon of ideologies in TWD and thus the perfect protagonist. The events of the series have sent him in a number of directions to explore a number of different philosophies. It only makes sense to explore these all in his last episode.
First up was the Shane vision. Did Andrew Lincoln and Jon Bernthal hang out every day for the past nine years just to get the chemistry right for this scene? They're friends, as they were in the scene they recreated, but they understand what they represent for each other: the ruthless hate you need to tap into in order to survive.
Next up is Hershel. Good luck trying not to cry while thinking about how this was Scott Wilson's last performance before he passed away. Him and Rick come in on the opposite side of the spectrum as Shane. Hershel is pure optimism, kindness, and hope. Their hug is filled with rare tenderness. Yet even the audience can tell this isn't quite the way either.
Then comes the runner up for MVP of the episode: Sasha. She might have been the last person expected for a substantial return, but she is the final puzzle piece. Listen to every word she says: she explains what the show is about. She cuts right down the middle and defines the thesis ideology. She is not ruthless, she is not pure, she is for the collective. Everything she and Rick did was for their family. Their actions inspire others and so on and so on. No one has done this more than Rick. It is about the people around you and the people to come. By this logic, HE is The Walking Dead.
Kang has managed to take a terrible situation and churn out something beyond great. This episode did more than say farewell to the protagonist and get us excited for the future. It reminded the audience what the series is about.
Man Down (2015)
One of the Most Enjoyable Movie Experiences...Ever
For me, this was all about the experience.
I just saw this tonight at the Toronto International Film Festival (with Shia LaBeouf and Kate Mara in the audience), in the lovely Roy Thomson Hall, and had absolutely no expectations going in. The premise sounded interesting (a marine returns from the Afghanistan war to post-apocalyptic America in search of his wife and son) , but in all honesty Shia was a bit of a red flag. The movie's I've seen him in have either been "meh" or not that good, and he usually gave mediocre performances in all of them. Plus, is he not crazy? Like, actually insane? Very sporadic dude to say the least.
After seeing this, I can confidently say I've never had my expectations shattered so hard before. This absolutely blew me out of the water in every way. The directing was brilliant, the supporting cast was spot on, but the real stars are screenwriter Adam Simon for coming up with such a unique and passionate idea, and Shia himself. This dude broke out of the image I had for him and gave a performance of a lifetime. It would be an absolute shame if it's not recognized in some way or another (whether that be awards or just general praise).
Now before you go see this, let me tell you that it really does take a while to get going. You may have mixed feelings at the beginning, and even partway into the middle, but once the credits roll and you leave the theatre, the experience you had will be unlike any other.
To conclude, I want to touch on experience again. Part of what made this so good for me was the experience (TIFF, watching it with Shia himself) but also the low expectations. In a way, a review takes away from the expectations. If you read this before watching Man Down, I only want you to take one thing away: it was good. That's it. Ignore all the praise I've just given it. It was good.
It was good.
The Walking Dead: What Happened and What's Going On (2015)
New & Beautiful
Never has an episode of TWD been so perfectly put together.
While the themes of "let's find a new home" and "home never last" have been drilled into our minds beyond belief at this point in the series, their constant reminder throughout this episode was done so in a way never seen before and never so perfectly. We saw images instead of video. Rusted filters to remind us of what was. A character so perfectly examined and picked apart, that their layers could be discussed for time to come.
It was one of the boldest moves in all of television to go with the surreal, almost psychedelic style that the episode did and a true example of what the show is and can become. The credits for this one have to go to Bear McCreary for a masterful score, whoever edited it together, Greg Nicotero for once again directing a classic episode but doing so in such a new and innovative way, and Scott Gimple for continuing to take risks and change up the most popular show on television all in the name of achieving a great product.
This may not stand as the greatest TWD episode of all time (although pretty damn close), but it stands for something else entirely. It stands for its greatest triumph. To continue to evolve this series in such a way is a gift to viewers. While it is doubtful (and frankly impossible) the rest of the season will be conducted in this certain manner, this episode alone can stand as a benchmark for what the show is capable of...all time greatness.